Galapagos Island Tortoise Conservation

The Houston Zoo loves our Galapagos tortoises at the Zoo and we want to do anything we can to save them in the wild.

Giant tortoises are thought to have numbered in the tens of thousands before pirates and whalers began removing them for food on the Galapagos Islands. Unfortunately, 4 of the 14 subspecies or species of Galapagos Tortoises have gone extinct. The remaining tortoises face a number of threats including the competition of non-native animals that have been introduced to the islands over the years.

How the Houston Zoo helps tortoises in the wild:

Our veterinary staff travels to the Galapagos Islands to offer veterinary assistance. For more information check out our blog!

Our Veterinary staff travels to the Galapagos Islands to assist with efforts to remove non-native animals introduced to the Galapagos that compete for resources and threaten the Galapagos tortoises. Read the article here.

Our conservation/education staff travels to the Galapagos to assist with conservation/education programing to empower young conservation leaders. For more information go here.